My Sassy Girl
by Saturday's Sun
Summary: Kai's sister: Kristen Hiwatari. She's sassy, and can be unreasonable. it was hate at first sight btween her and Ray, but Ray falls in love with her unconsciously. Will he try to break her, or give up in the end?
1. My Sassy Sister

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned below in the following chapter, except Kristen Hiwatari, who is Kai's sister. (duh) =) ****

A/N: "My Sassy Girl" actually speaks of Ray, in the BeyBlade series, falling in love, unconsciously, with a free-spirited girl that is sometimes unreasonable beyond reason, as you guys will see later, and Ray tries all sorts of plans to make her see the light. In the end… will he try further and harder to break her? Or will he finally give up?

This is my first fiction story about the BeyBlade series, so go easy on it! No flames, please! And no hate mails. Thanks. =)

My Sassy Sister

~*~*~*~

"Kai! Get your scrawny butt down here! Right! This! Instant!" her voice echoed through the stairway and reached the ears of Kai Hiwatari, who slammed his closet door shut. 

"Shut the hell up, Kristen!" he shouted back at his sister, while making his way back downstairs where Kristen was waiting for him, luggage and all.

As he arrived downstairs, facing his sister, who was half a head shorter than he was, which was actually quite tall already, he yelled, ignoring the close proximity.

"Like hell I have a scrawny butt, Kristen!"

Kristen Hiwatari winced at the loudness of Kai's booming voice, rubbed her ears for awhile, and then recovered her calm composure. She smiled warmly, and leaving Kai to wonder what she was about, as she shocked him by placing her arms around his neck and burying her head in it as well. That shock made him drop his bags with a 'thud' to the parquet floor.

Kai was about to ask Kristen what she was up to when she suddenly yelled in his ear. "Like hell you don't!" Then her arms slid off his neck and the corners of her mouth curled up into a half-smirk, half-smile position. Kai's shoulders slumped, as if admitting defeat.

He just didn't know what to do with her, so he did the least logical thing. 

Instead of yelling back, he smiled. 

"Have you packed your things yet, little devil?" Kristen nodded her head, excitement practically oozing out of her fully matured body. She would never admit it, but she loved her brother as much as he loved her. And knowing Kai, that would be quite a difficult emotion to stir up in him.

Kai nuzzled her raven-blue hair lovingly and smiled once more. "Then let's go."

They were off to the official BladeBreakers' hostel. It was finally done, what with all the dumb renovations it had, with their stuff breaking down most of the time when they were in it previously. Then they had finally pooled up some money from doing odd jobs and renovated it. 

Kristen didn't have any BeyBlade, so there was also no Bit-Beast of hers to speak of. But she was Kai's sister, and that said a lot, especially when majority of the renovation money and other resources had come from the Hiwatari finance company. Both their parents were rich people, and that explained the mansion they lived in, before the BladeBreakers were formed, that is. 

Kristen didn't want to have any BeyBlade, despite all the persuading Kai had done. That would increase her status in the team, if she had at least one. But she had claimed that she had absolutely no interest in them. She thought they were pretty all right, the spinning tops. Even if she wouldn't admit that she loved watching those BeyBlades strike their opponents down to anyone. She was that stubborn.

She had finally persuaded her parents to let her stay in the hostel with her brother. What with all the working her parents had to do, they always came home during twilight hours, and although Kristen never mentioned it, Kai knew that she was always lonely when he was out, and with the other guardian of theirs, Aunt Mae. Aunt Mae was a nice old lady, but her age sometimes restricted her with the bounds of energy she would need when dealing with Kai's younger sister.

Kristen had promised to be good, along with a whole lot of things, so her parents would let her go. They did, but Kai didn't believe half a word of how Kristen promised to be good. She? Be good? That was worth a snort from anyone. She wasn't exactly bad, but she can sometimes be so unreasonable that Kai would strike her. Not that he ever did; he loved her too much to lay a hand on her anyway.

Arriving at the doorstep, Kai and Kristen both heard faint shouts from Kenny, who was also known by the BladeBreakers by the name of the 'chief', Max, a blonde American-Japanese guy who had the typical fashion sense of orange and green, and last but not least, Tyson, the 'leader' of the BladeBreakers. Kai wondered where Ray Kon, the other member of the team was, as he didn't seem to hear his voice echoing through the hallway. But then again, Ray was always the quiet one, so even if he was indeed inside there, Kai wouldn't know. 

Kristen knocked on the door three times, but no one answered the door. She frowned and banged the door with her fist three times again. She waited for awhile, and hearing no response, she raised her hand once again, only to see the door swing open in front of her. And she was immediately greeted by a very cute guy of about her own age. 

~*~*~*~ 

*to be continued…*

A/N: All right… hmm… since this is my first BeyBlade fic, how about at least five reviews? Thanks! =)


	2. No Fair

****

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned below, except Kristen Hiwatari, or should I say Kristen Ishida? *winks* You'll know what I'm talking about once you read the chapter.

A/N: Hmm… this chapter was pretty crappy, I think. But I seriously won't know how you reviewers out there think. So review, please? And tell me what you think of this chapter, or even story.

~*~*~*~

****

No Fair

"Well, hello…" Tyson drawled. Seeing this raven haired beauty in front of him was worth any brawl he had had over the weeks with the other BladeBreakers over the renovation business. Especially with Ray Kon. That guy, in Tyson's opinion, was the quietest thing that Tyson had ever met. He never talks. Not much, anyway, and only opens his mouth when he is spoken to. It's being polite, he thinks, but far too polite sometimes, that Tyson would like to strangle him and make him make a noise. He didn't want Ray to feel left out, that's one thing. And the other, was that Tyson was sometimes jealous of Ray. Not of his skills, of course, for all the BladeBreakers were all superior in their skills. And what with Ray's Driger, he was considered one of the best, in fact. Actually, Tyson was jealous of Ray's looks. 

Ray was the best looking person in the whole team, along than Kai, of course. Ray had black hair and golden eyes. Some people were scared of them, saying that those were yellow eyes of a cat. And that Ray was weird, having those eyes. But those 'some people' were usually the same people whose girlfriends had started ogling after Ray as the whole team passed them by. 

Kai, on the other hand, was the complete opposite of Ray, in the aspects of looks, though they were as handsome looking as each other. 

"Quit ogling at her, Tyson," Kai's voice broke through Tyson's train of thoughts. Tyson looked up at Kai, who was a little taller than him. 

"Oh, you're here, too. When did you come?" Tyson had absolutely no idea that Kai had come the same time as the other girl.

Kai resisted every urge to roll his eyes heavenward as he grunted, "Shut up and let us in, Tyson."

Tyson smiled broadly and practically shoved Kai aside with his elbow as he let the stranger girl go in. 

Kai pushed Tyson's elbow away forcefully and walked into the hostel room, fairly scowling at Tyson. 

"I warn you, Tyson, stop looking at Kristen," Kai whispered dangerously.

But Tyson, as usual, was oblivious to the danger he was exposed to. "Kirsten, huh… hmm… interesting name."

"It's Kristen," Kai all but snarled.

  
Tyson shrugged, showing indifference. Kai warned him once more to get his eyes off her or he will personally gouge them out. Tyson, finally, got his finger around the danger edge in Kai's voice, and asked why he wasn't supposed to even look at the Kristen girl.

Kai opened his mouth to say that she was his sister, for Christ's sake, when he changed his mind almost immediately and said instead, "Because she's mine."

Tyson's shoulders slumped; the look of defeat in his face was worth millions, decided Kai. 

No wonder they came together, Tyson thought dejectedly. This is not fair!!! His mind practically went blank when Kai had made that statement about Kristen being his and then proceeded to move into the guys' hostel. 

"How come all the pretty girls belong to Kai and Ray," he muttered under his breath, while raking his fingers through his hair frustratingly. 

"What did you say?" Max appeared from behind him. 

"Max! You scared the shit out of me!" Max just grinned at Tyson and dodged quickly as Tyson's fist swung under his nose.

****

Back in the hostel room…

"Whoopee!" Kristen shouted, while jumping on the beds. Kai sighed and dropped his bags and hers, which she had practically ordered him to carry as well, on the floor with a loud 'thud', indicating how heavy the luggage added up to be. Well ,actually, Kai had only one or two bags or haversacks, while Kristen had about five to six. She said that a girl needed more stuff than guys. Though who knows, Kai thought to himself.

He had already explained who Kristen was to Kenny, who was right now sitting at the table, head practically buried in the computer, as usual. Kenny had simply smiled warmly and shook Kristen's hand.

Kristen smiled with amusement obvious in her eyes. Her eyes twinkled as she waved a hand in front of Kenny's eyes.

  
"Can you see me?" she asked. She didn't mean to be rude, and she was really plain curious, as Kenny's hair was always sprawled in front of his eyes.

"Yup," Kenny replied. Kai thanked Kenny silently for being so understanding with his sister, who can sometimes be so blunt. 

With a silent "oh", Kristen rolled over on an adjacent bed, next to Kai.

"Kristen, you can't-" The doorbell rang, permitting Kai to finish his sentence. Kristen smiled mischievously, obviously glad that Kai didn't get around to admonishing her. 

Tyson shouted, "Kai could you please get the door? I think it's Ray!" 

Kristen immediately sat up in bed and gave Kai a questioning look, as if to ask who's Ray. Kai was about to say something when the doorbell rang again, and Tyson shouted once more for Kai to open the door.

With a disgruntled snort, Kai walked to the living room and proceeded to open the door when Kristen beat him to it.

She swung the door open and tried her hardest not to stare at what was in front of her. 

God… that has got to be the prettiest sight I have ever laid my eyes upon.

So, instead of plain gawking, like a fool, she tried her best to give a smile. But she thought her 'hi' sounded a bit shaky.

God… I'm in heaven, Ray Kon thought silently. He didn't ever hear the girl say "hi". He just stumbled upon his own words and said, "I think I, ah, knocked on the wrong door."

Was it just him, or did the girl in front of him look disappointed. Must have been just me, Ray decided finally. 

Kristen was about to close the door when Kai turned up behind her and smiled. "Hi, Ray."

This time, she couldn't help but stare. Her light green eyes raked through Ray from head to toe, as if inspecting him. Ray felt a blush creep onto his cheeks with the 'inspection' she was giving him.

Kai noticed it all, and tried hard not to smile. He showed outward indifference and started showing Ray inside the room. 

As Ray walked on, he couldn't help but toss a curious glance over his shoulder at the 'new girl', whose eyes that seemed gray to him were still watching his every movement.

Entering their – ah – bedroom, Ray saw that his bed was being taken. He thought that it was Kai's things, so he asked Kai if he could move them. Kai nodded and went back into the living room to look for Tyson, to discuss the rest of the day's agenda.

So Ray moved a couple of tote bags, but when he came upon a pink one, he thought, uh-oh. This can't be right.

But… too late. Kristen was in the doorway, staring at Ray, this time, no more in fascination.

"Why are you moving my things for?" Kristen didn't mean to shout. She just didn't like people with bad manners.

"I-" Ray tried searching for an explanation somewhere in the back of his head.

"Move them back." it sounded like a command which lieutenants sometimes give, rather than a suggestion made in peace.

That riled Ray's rare temper a bit.

  
"But it's my bed."

"Who says?" 

"Me says." He retorted, with a frown on his face. Was this even the same girl who greeted him at the doorway? He wasn't sure anymore. 

"I didn't know that it was yours," Kristen mused, and for a moment, Ray thought that he saw confusion in her gray eyes, before it was quickly replaced by anger.

"But so what?" she continued. "I don't care."

Ray felt his mouth gape open like a fish out of water. How come she's so unreasonable? 

"Anyway, this is a boys' dormitory, the girls' one is right beside. You can't sleep in a boys' dormitory, right?" he tried, but to no avail.

  
"Who says I can't?" 

Ray let out an exasperated sigh, just as Kai and Tyson stepped into the room.

  
"What's up? I heard shouting all the way in the living room," Kai said.

Tyson echoed, "Yeah," then when he saw Kristen and Ray glaring at each other, he couldn't help but chuckle a bit.

"So you met Kai's girlfriend?" Kai was about to clarify the matter when Kristen jumped to his side with a speed faster than lightning and said, "Yeah, Kai dear, you haven't done a proper introduction yet, you know." 

Kai nearly gagged, and looked at Kenny for help, but Kenny seemed to have caught the say-a-word-and-you're-dead glance from Kristen.

So Kai graciously took Kristen's hand and muttered, "Yeah. Ray, everyone, meet Kristen…" What about the surname, Kai thought frantically.

"Kristen Ishida," Kristen quickly piped in, before people started wondering how come a boyfriend didn't even know his own girlfriend's surname.

Ray looked shocked at the information he had just been dealt with, and Kai pitied him a little, for he could tell that Ray liked the first sight of Kristen, emphasizing "first" and "liked". 

"Well, it's none of my business," Ray muttered under his breath. 

Kristen frowned as she heard what Ray said. She leaned in closer to Kai and Kai had to bend his head down to hear what she was whispering about.

"He won't let me sleep in here."

Kai rolled his eyes.   


"Kristen… this is a boys' room. Be good, and listen to me, if not him, all right?"

Kristen seemed to considering this new piece of situation, then walked over to her pile of bags on the floor and scooped them up one by one, with some help from Kai, of course.

Then, with a last glare at Ray's surprised face, Kristen walked out of the room. 

~*~*~*~

*to be continued…* 

A/N: So… what do you think? Hmm… well, _I_ think that I should at least have 5 reviews for this one? Yeah? Maybe it's not that good, though, but the next chapter will be better, I promise!


	3. Reasons

****

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned below, except for Kristen Hiwatari. And in the next chapter, I will be owning more characters, mainly girls. Those girls that I am about to mention in the next chapter will be joining the BladeBreakers, recommended by Mr. Dickensen. (Is that how you spell his name, anyway?)

~*~*~*~

Reasons

Ray tossed and turned in his bed. It wasn't that it was too hard to be comfortable. It was just that he couldn't shake the image of Kristen out of his head. From that little brawl in the afternoon, Kristen couldn't help but glare at Ray's direction about every five minutes. Ray didn't know whether to be amused or annoyed at that little gesture.

Then, when it was turning dark, he had laid on his bed, arms under his head, acting as a cushion, Ray had asked Kai about her.

****

Flashback

"Why does she act the way she does?" Ray couldn't help but ask, curious at Kai's girlfriend, and it surprised Ray that this term irritated him so much.

Kai had looked up at the white, almost flawless ceiling for a few quiet moments, and when Ray poked him in the ribs gently, as if to prompt him, Kai finally turned to face Ray.

"She has her reasons," Kai said simply, and then turned over on his other side, leaving Ray to stare at his back, confused.

****

End Flashback

It was turning dark, and Ray slowly drifted into sleep. But his sharp ears thought otherwise, as he heard a soft creaking of the wooden doors. He turned around to face the doors slowly, and saw a dark silhouette approaching the beds. He caught sight of long hair flowing behind the figure's back and realized that it was Kristen; the other girls who were supposed to meet them postponed their flight here, so they would arrive tomorrow instead.

What is it she's looking for? Ray thought to himself, in all curiosity.

Kristen seemed to be mumbling softly to herself that Ray wondered if she was sleep-walking and talking at the same time.

But as she approached _his_ bed, he closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep.

"Kai," came a fervent whisper. Ray recognized it to be Kristen's voice. The problem was… she was shaking _his_ arm, instead of Kai's.

He sat up straight in his bed and leaned against the wall. But there was no moon that night, to illuminate his face enough.

Moreover, his hair must have looked like Kai's in the dark, as Kristen took him by surprise as her arms wrapped his neck tightly. 

Ray's mouth gaped open, not knowing how to feel; whether to be enraged by it all or what.

Just as he was about to open his mouth to say something, maybe to scold Kristen, she suddenly hiccuped softly and shivered against his chest; and Ray realized that she was actually crying. All words and thoughts escaped him as she heard him mumble softly. Words that he heard but did not understand.

"It's the same dream again – jumped down – couldn't stop it – no help arrived-"

Ray couldn't help but pat her head softly and awkwardly. What else was he to do?

Suddenly, he was pretending to be Kai, yet he couldn't say a word, for if he did, she would surely recognize his voice.

But she noticed the quietness in him.

"Kai?" she finally prompted, as her sobs began subsiding. 

Uh-oh, Ray thought. Cover blown. He could feel Kristen feeling the long tail of hair behind his back tentatively at first, then yanking it harder, when she finally realized it was Ray.

"You!" she hissed. Even in the dark, Ray could sense that she was about to scream, so he put a hand over her mouth.

"Sh… don't scream-" he whispered. "-please," he added as an afterthought.

Kristen thought about it for a while. Idiot, she thought angrily. How could he pretend to be Kai all along?! Please? Kristen snorted mentally. Who did he think he was, huh?

She bit his fingers. Hard.

Ray took his hand away with a soft "Ow".   
  
Kristen grabbed him by the other arm and practically dragged him forcefully outside of the room, closing the door behind them. Ray was glaring at her as she pulled him to the overhanging balcony.

"What was that for?" he asked, still glaring.

"What was what for?" 

"Don't feign ignorance with me. Why did you bite me for?" Ray snapped.

"You didn't ask me _not_ to; you only said not to scream, didn't you? I was merely following your instructions," Kristen said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Ray sighed. She had a point. He didn't say anything about her not supposed to bite his fingers, but how was he supposed to know she would be so… _vile_??

"Fine," he said softly and he was about to turn back to return to his room when Kristen stopped him again by standing in front of him.

"How dare you pretend to be Kai?" Her anger was unmistakable at that instant. She wasn't shouting or anything to that extent, but the soft and dangerous tone in her voice was enough to make anyone back away from the anger.

"I didn't pretend to be anything! You were the one who just came in to-" he stopped in mid-sentence, suddenly embarrassed.

Kristen was also feeling awkward, she wondered why. She found this new embarrassment ridiculous.

"You two switched beds?"

"No."

"But Kai's bed is the second one from the right! You were in _his_ bed!"

Ray seemed to think about this statement for a while, before he did something totally unexpected, which also took Kristen by surprise. He smiled.

Kristen raised her left eyebrow.   
  
"Why are you smiling?"

Ray shrugged. "My bed is the second one from the _left_."

Kristen's face flushed. Damn it, she thought. 

"I- sometimes have problems with my lefts and rights," she muttered under her breath.

Ray chuckled softly, not wanting to embarrass her further by laughing out loud.  


"I thought so," he said slowly, as he inspected her face over again. He was surprised to find that he liked this new Kristen. Very much, indeed. Her head low, eyes directed to the tiles on the ground, face slightly flushed, bringing lovely color to her cheeks. Her hair wasn't tied up now, it was loose around her shoulders, with soft tendrils framing her face that Ray was longing to touch. His eyes traveled down slowly as he inspected her body more closely.

Wearing her usual home clothing, Kristen was only wearing a pink tank top and a pair of white shorts, which accentuated her long legs. Ray thought that they seemed to go on forever, like the Great Walls of China.

When she finally looked up, she saw Ray staring at her closely.

"What are you staring at?" Kristen asked, suddenly feeling self-conscious under Ray's sudden 'inspection'.

"You," Ray said, then immediately regretting that he was too blunt in his answer, for Kristen seemed to be looking for a hole to crawl in. A soft strand of hair escaped from behind his ear, as he wasn't wearing his head-band. Ray was about to reach out and tuck it behind his ear when Kristen did it for him.

Millions of thoughts were racing in Kristen's head as Ray stood there, staring at her intensely.

__

Oh, shit. I've gone mad.

Yes, you have.

That doesn't help.

Why did you do that for, anyway?

I don't know. Maybe I really have gone mad.

Maybe you should go home tomorrow.

You're right. Maybe-

Too late. He's going to kiss you.

And Ray did. It started out so briefly, but the process was long and sweet. There was no tongue involved, it was plain for all to see that Ray was taking it slowly, not forcing Kristen to do anything she didn't want. Ray figured that he was going mad, since he sensed something behind those closed doors of Kristen, but didn't know what it was. But whatever it was, he's going to find out. (A/N: Nice resolution.)

When the kiss ended, Kristen realized that her arms were around Ray's neck and his were hanging loosely by her hips.

She was about to let go when Ray held her closer. He hugged her, quite tightly as well. Kristen liked that feeling. In fact, she loved it. So she hugged back, with just as much strength she could muster, at that time of night.

  
But Ray stopped all the flow of warm feelings, just by saying…

~*~*~*~

*to be continued…*

****

A/N: Ta-da! Sorry about the cliffhanger. But I had to do it! My reviews are sort of suffering, you know? Sorry again. But if you want me to continue… review!


	4. Permission

****

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this chapter below, except for Kristen Hiwatari, of course.

****

From the previous chapter…

"What are you staring at?" Kristen asked, suddenly feeling self-conscious under Ray's sudden 'inspection'.

"You," Ray said, then immediately regretting that he was too blunt in his answer, for Kristen seemed to be looking for a hole to crawl in. A soft strand of hair escaped from behind his ear, as he wasn't wearing his head-band. Ray was about to reach out and tuck it behind his ear when Kristen did it for him.

Millions of thoughts were racing in Kristen's head as Ray stood there, staring at her intensely.

__

Oh, shit. I've gone mad.

Yes, you have.

That doesn't help.

Why did you do that for, anyway?

I don't know. Maybe I really have gone mad.

Maybe you should go home tomorrow.

You're right. Maybe-

Too late. He's going to kiss you.

And Ray did. It started out so briefly, but the process was long and sweet. There was no tongue involved, it was plain for all to see that Ray was taking it slowly, not forcing Kristen to do anything she didn't want. Ray figured that he was going mad, since he sensed something behind those closed doors of Kristen, but didn't know what it was. But whatever it was, he's going to find out. (A/N: Nice resolution.)

When the kiss ended, Kristen realized that her arms were around Ray's neck and his were hanging loosely by her hips.

She was about to let go when Ray held her closer. He hugged her, quite tightly as well. Kristen liked that feeling. In fact, she loved it. So she hugged back, with just as much strength she could muster, at that time of night.

  
But Ray stopped all the flow of warm feelings, just by saying…

~***Permission***~

"Are you hiding something, Kristen?"

Kristen pushed Ray back by the chest as painful memories came flooding back. it was as if the long, unused dams have suddenly broken loose and free, and the river-water now started flowing in torrents. She couldn't get used to it; she didn't _want_ to. The emotions Ray stirred up in her heart were more than she could ever take. Painful memories of her being hurt flashed through her mind; she felt as though it was wrecking her all over again.

She stared at Ray hard, not knowing what to think. She could see from Ray's facial expression that he, too, didn't know how to react by the sudden rejection.

Kristen wanted nothing more than to tell him about what had happened, nothing more, than to trust again. But the wrenching pains in her heart forbid her to do anything more than rational.

"What-" he started, but Kristen beat him to it.

"I don't know what you're talking about; there's nothing for me to hide, is there?" The question hung from the silence, echoing magically in both their heads.

"Isn't there?" Ray countered softly, watching the shock and hurt on Kristen's face turn to unmistakable anger. 

"Just leave me alone, Ray." 

And with that, she stalked away, leaving Ray alone and lonely in the shady silhouette of the moon and silent whispers of the trees.

The next morning, Max and Tyson were hitting each other on the head with couch pillows, Kai was standing near the ledge of the balcony, staring out into nothing, Kenny was working on their Bit-Beasts with Dizzi, and Kristen and Ray were in their rooms, brooding. They were all waiting for Mr. Dickenson, to announce the new itinerary for that day, as the new girl members of the BladeBreakers were coming. 

As Ray and Kristen walked out of their rooms at the same time, and as their staring match began, Mr. Dickenson knocked and called out.

As he walked in, he looked at Max and Tyson, whose heads of hair were disheveled, and their smiles goofy. 

"Enjoying yourselves, eh?" he chuckled.

Kai raised a doubting eyebrow and asked Mr. Dickenson when the new members will be coming.

"Ah, yes! We will be going over to fetch them here instead!"

"Why?" Kenny, Max and Tyson echoed.

"Because their flights got delayed and they came here in the wee hours. They need their rest, boys."

"And girl," Kristen added softly, not knowing what to make of this new, jovial man.

"Ah! And who is this beautiful lady?" his loud voice boomed.

"Name's Kristen Hi- I mean, Ishida."

Mr. Dickenson looked so confused that Kristen decided to enlighten him a bit more.

"You see, I don't have a Bit-Beast. I _might_ get one sometime later, but not now. I came in because, well… I'm _related_ to Kai."

Mr. Dickenson's eyes twinkled as he looked from Kai, who looked slightly put off, to the new girl, who was looking straight at him. 

He smiled and said simply, "Very well. You may join us, of course, since there is an extra bed anyway."

"Thank you!" Kristen smiled broadly at him and Mr. Dickenson could feel his heart deciding whether to melt or soar instead. He couldn't help it; her smile was so beautiful, just like his grand-daughter's. At that instant, he felt a strange affection for this young girl. It's no wonder Kai would feel for her, he thought silently to himself, especially since Kai is so cold all the time. 

He would have chuckled if he didn't hear the bus sounding from downstairs.

"Hear that, boys? Oh, I mean, hear that, people? It's time to go! Come on!" he boomed in a jovial voice.

They were boarding the team bus when Kristen tugged at Kai's sleeve gently and asked him if he could sit with her during the trip to the hotel.

Kai looked down at his sister's wide light green eyes and was immediately alarmed by the sadness in them. 

"Did anyone do anything to you?" Kai asked gruffly, instantly thinking of Tyson.

Kristen shook her head and refused to let her thoughts go back to last night, when Ray had her so close to him that she could smell his every scent…

"No, it's just that… I'd like to have some company."

Some of the alarm faded away from Kai's eyes, but the wariness was still there.

"Listen, don't sit with Tyson afterwards, all right? I have to sit with Kenny, he needs to tell me something about my Bit-Beast." 

Kristen sighed with disappointment so clear in her voice that Kai wanted to tell Kenny to talk to him another day. But she smiled a tiny smile and asked him to go on, that she could sit alone.

Kai nodded his head and went to the back seat to sit with Kenny, who was already busy with Dizzi. However, he made sure that from where he was sitting, he could see whatever was going on with his sister.

Kristen sat at one of the window seats, looked out, and saw an amusing sight. A black thrush was pecking at another yellow breasted robin, and from the look of it, the peck didn't seem to be that affectionate as people would like to think it to be. The yellow robin didn't seem to mind, though. But as it suddenly hopped towards the thrush, the thrush was taken by surprise and nearly fell off the thin branch.

Moments later, all Kristen could see was that the two heads of the thrush and the robin were put together in a definitely affectionate way, as they were nudging each other gently.

Kristen nearly jumped in her seat when somebody spoke behind her. She turned around and saw Tyson grin.

"Is this seat taken?" Tyson asked, with that huge grin still on his face.

The corners of Kristen's mouth tilted upwards while Kai's titled downwards. But neither of them could say a word, as Ray suddenly materialized out of nowhere.

"Yes, it is," Ray said, frowning at Tyson.

Tyson raised his eyebrow as Kristen started protesting. After that, Tyson was rather lost, as Kai and Ray kept insisting that the seat was taken and Kristen kept shaking her head at that assumption.

In the end, Max saved the day, by shouting out, "Tyson! Over here!"

Tyson reluctantly moved towards the front, where Max was seated. He plopped down on the seat beside Max and glared at Ray as he saw Ray sit himself beside Kristen.

The bus started moving, with the bus driver complaining slightly about the earlier commotion. The ride was fairly quiet, except for Dizzi' s occasional 'talking'.

Kristen turned her head and looked at Ray with a frown on her face to let him know what she thought of the earlier brawl.

Ray was slightly slumped in his seat as he saw how Kristen looked at him and started frowning.

"This seat was _not_ taken."

"It was."

"No it wasn't."

"Yes it was." Ray fought the urge to smile as he saw Kristen sigh with exasperation.

"All right, then," she said calmly, "who took this seat?"

"Me."

Kristen gave out a little cry of outrage. "I didn't give you any permission! Don't you even have the least decency of asking someone if the seat's taken?!"

Ray gave her a funny look, but remained silent.

"Argh!" Kristen said softly, watching Ray's indifference.

She pulled her windbreaker over her head and refused to look at anything else or anyone else, except darkness.

Ray couldn't help but smile now. The absurdity of her statement and her weird outrage still rang in his mind. From what he had heard, assuming that he had not heard wrongly, that she was a girl with very good manners. Very, very good manners. But then again, she didn't seem the type, Ray told himself silently.

  
He looked at the lump under the windbreaker and smiled once again. He pried the windbreaker from her tightly clutched fists. Reluctantly, Kristen let go, knowing that he would probably win her in the strength department.

"What are you doing?" she asked instead, and saw the way Ray looked at her messed up hair and smile.

She suddenly felt annoyed. After all, _he_ was the one who pulled the windbreaker away from her.

Kristen moved her hand to smoothen her hair when Ray beat her to it. (A/N: Sounds familiar?) She started protesting, but Ray insisted as he said softly, "You did for me last night, let me do it for you today."

As soon as he got the words out his mouth, he started hitting himself on the head mentally. What is wrong with me, Ray thought, I have never spoken to anyone like that. not even my mum! He withdrew his hand and tried his very bets to look indifferent, but knew inside that his hand was shaking slightly.

He looked into Kristen's eyes, slightly shocked that it was light green instead of gray, and bent down.

Kristen couldn't speak. Anyway, she didn't need to. 

Ray whispered huskily, "Do I need permission for this?" Then he bent down and wanted to give her a kiss.

But the bus jerked to a violent stop.

A/N: sorry I took so long to upload this chapter. I was kind of busy.. so don't blame me, guys! Remember to review as well, okay? Thanks!


	5. Cover Blown

A/N: ALERT! ALERT! I think some of the readers have forgotten that Kai is actually Kristen's ELDER BROTHER! (not her real boyfriend) so please take note… btw… *hint* there would be some sort of twist in the chapters to follow… the story really begins then… hee hee (killing u guys softly with the suspense, huh?) =)

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in the chapter below, except for Kristen Hiwatari, Sonya Tachikawa, Natalie Takenouchi and Kari Daisuke. (in case you haven't noticed, I got the ideas from digimon characters.)

~* **Cover Blown** *~

Ray straightened himself, only to see Kai look down at him, with a strange look on his face. It might have sounded stupid then, but it was probably the only time Ray realized that Kristen was actually Kai's _girlfriend._ And here he was, thinking about kissing her every time he saw her lips, hugging her every time he saw her. 

Ray looked over at Kristen, who was smiling at Kai, as if indicating that she was all right. She looked so innocent. Ray didn't know why, but he suddenly felt mad at Kristen, as if she was at fault.

He got up from his seat and saw that the bus had reached its destination. 

He turned and glared at the both of them, before alighting the bus. 

"Max!"

"Cassie?" Max mumbled into that thick ash blonde hair. He couldn't help it; she was embracing him so tightly.

When she finally pulled away, and when Max got a good and long look at his child-hood playmate and friend till today, he stared and stared.

"What?" she asked self-consciously, while looking down to inspect herself.

She was beautiful; Max hadn't seen her since two years ago, and she had grown SO much. her ash blonde hair was no longer at her shoulders. It was a little above her tiny waistline. Her wonderful smile had grown wider and prettier. Her turquoise eyes seemed to light up even more.

Even her _body_ had grown. 

Cassandra Leighton smiled and looked around. She stopped and stared at a particular spot behind Max.

Max turned around and knew immediately at what she was staring at. Or rather, _who_ she was staring at.

She got around Max and held her hand out. "Hi, I'm Cassandra Leighton. And you are…" 

Kai looked up and stared intently at the girl in front of him. Not bad, he thought. In fact, quite good-looking. And not in an ordinary way.

"Kai," he said simply. He didn't even raise his hand by even an inch.

Every bit of Cassandra's logical mind asked her to just drop her hand by her side. But she held on, still holding her hand up and holding Kai's gaze as well. 

This time, Kai raised his left eyebrow. Ray looked at him and immediately thought of Kristen. Those two are so alike, he thought, and frowned.

"Aren't you ever going to put your hand down?" 

"No. Not until you shake it."

Guts. That was what the girl had, Tyson thought to himself, silently admiring her. So the girl not only has looks…

If you thought Kai was going to let her off easy by shaking her hand or even just giving it a slight slap, you thought like the other people around them. And, you thought wrong.

Kai cocked his head ad kept his left eyebrow raised. 

Then he walked around her, without even looking back.

(Note: there would be either another individual story about Kai and Cassie Leighton, or their romance will be together with Ray's and Kristen's. Did u all think I would let Kai off easy? Mua hahahaha *evil cackle*) 

Ouch, Max thought. But from what he can see, Cassie was definitely interested in Kai at first glance, and she probably would be in the near future. That was her. from young, she had always gone for things she really wanted. And had never let go after that. So that part of her didn't really change.

Cassie frowned and let her hand drop at last. One part of her said in her head, _I told you so._ But she waved it away. He's interesting… and that was all she thought during the entire introduction of the other girls.

  
"So… we have… Sonya Tachikawa, Kari Daisuke, Natalie Takenouchi and of course… Cassandra Leighton." Tyson announced.

"Yes, these will be the other members of the team. And-"

"Why are they all girls?" Ray interrupted.

Mister Dickenson smiled. "I think we have enough boys, Ray. Plus, now we have a balanced sex ratio."

Ray shrugged.

"- they will assist you in the future matches against other teams. Any questions or opinions?"

Tyson looked too happy to talk. Max shrugged. Kristen looked over at Ray, then found out that he was looking back at her. The other girls shook their heads. Kenny's head, as usual, was buried deep into his mobile computer. Dizzi was complaining about their names being too long. 

And of all people, Kai raised his opinions. 

"I don't see why we need girls anyway." And with that, he turned and proceeded up the bus. 

Kristen glared at her dumb brother. Egotistical freak, she thought. What's his problem with girls, she thought. Keep this up and people might think he's gay. Or even bisexual. 

Plus, she really liked that Cassie girl. She looked really straightforward and sincere. And she didn't need two looks to see that she was interested in that arrogant brother of hers.

So as Mister Dickenson informed the bellboys to help move the bags up, she ran up the bus.

Ray, without realizing it, raced after Kristen. He arrived in the bus, just to see Kristen frown hard at Kai.

And box him in the head.

Obviously, they didn't know that Ray was there, listening to what they were saying.

"What was that for?"

"What, Kristen?" 

"Why did you do that to Cassie?"

Kai didn't answer that question. He just looked up and saw Ray. Then he said to Kristen, "You see her for the first time and you call her Cassie?"

Kristen was about to move on when Kai stopped her with the most shocking sentence. 

"All right, all right. I'll try to be better to the rest of them, okay? By the way, in case you didn't know, your boyfriend's been listening to every word we've been saying." Kai snorted. And almost regretted it. Just almost.

"My boyfr-" Kristen started and turned around.

Oh my god, I hate my brother. Doesn't he know he's supposed to be my boyfriend??? 

Ray looked at the two of them. 

"I thought _he_ was supposed to be your boyfriend."

A/N: uh-oh… cover blown? Stay tuned! Oh, and remember to review, k? Thanks! =) By the by, if you have watched American Idol 2…. CLAY AIKEN RULES!!!


	6. Words Hurt

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned below in the chapter, except for Natalie, Sonya, Kari, Cassie, and Kristen.

****

From the previous chapter…

Ray, without realizing it, raced after Kristen. He arrived in the bus, just to see Kristen frown hard at Kai.

And box him in the head.

Obviously, they didn't know that Ray was there, listening to what they were saying.

"What was that for?"

"What, Kristen?" 

"Why did you do that to Cassie?"

Kai didn't answer that question. He just looked up and saw Ray. Then he said to Kristen, "You see 

her for the first time and you call her Cassie?"

Kristen was about to move on when Kai stopped her with the most shocking sentence. 

"All right, all right. I'll try to be better to the rest of them, okay? By the way, in case you didn't know, your boyfriend's been listening to every word we've been saying." Kai snorted. And almost regretted it. Just almost.

"My boyfr-" Kristen started and turned around.

Oh my god, I hate my brother. Doesn't he know he's supposed to be my boyfriend??? 

Ray looked at the two of them. 

"I thought _he_ was supposed to be your boyfriend."

****

~* Words Hurt *~

Kristen glared at Kai for a second or two, then she turned to stare at Ray, who was staring back curiously, anxious of what she had to say.

"You're right, Ray. He _is_ my boyfriend, although he wouldn't admit it." 

Then she boxed Kai on the head again. This time, Kai _did_ regret it.

Later that evening, Kristen avoided Ray and his questioningly gaze as much as she could. But dinnertime came soon, and Mister Dickenson himself called the hostel and said that he couldn't bring the whole lot of them out tonight, like he promised, as he had some matters of his own to settle.

"I promise that I'll bring you the next time," he had said in his usual jovial voice.

The new girls shrugged and the guys groaned. This meant that they would have to find their own plans. With the girls, whether they liked it or not.

"So, Cassie, what do you wanna eat?" Max smiled.

Cassie shrugged once more. "Don't know, don't care." As usual, that was her favorite phrase. She hadn't changed _that _much.

Tyson barely hid his groan. "Aw, come on, guys, I'm so hungry I could eat a pack of horses."

"You're always hungry." Max commented with good humor.

"Guess so, but we'd better go before it gets late." As they proceeded to get out of the hostel, two of the new girls started giggling.

Tyson couldn't help but be irate. "What is it now?"

One of the new girls, Natalie, smiled broadly and said, "Why don't we play a game?"

Even Kai couldn't take it. "Now?" he asked incredulously.

The other girl, who had raven black hair, Sonya, laughed. "Yeah, we've got this idea. Just listen to it. What say we write all our names down and go on individual dates with the person you picked out? Since there's a balanced sex ratio and all…" 

Some of them were about to disagree but Tyson said in a near shout, "Fine. Whatever it takes to get all of you out the door!" 

Nobody disagreed then. Tyson was pretty scary when he was denied the simply necessity of food.

So the 'game' went on. The girls got to choose, of course.

Sonya took out her hand out of the little makeshift box and smiled in chagrin as she saw Tyson's name in bold.

"Great! Bye guys!" Tyson said before he disappeared around a corner, practically dragging Sonya, who almost looked sorry for suggesting the idea of the game.

Then the picks went on. It was fate, really. 

Max looked a bit regretful as he took Kari by the arm, but smiled good-naturedly at her. Dizzi pretended to complain of not having Kenny all to herself as Natalie laughed and dragged Kenny _and _Dizzi along.

Cassandra went first and got a slight, funny jolt when she touched one of the two remaining papers. Instinct told her to get that out. So she did. 

The next thing she heard was Kai groaning softly. She laughed. "Bye guys!"

Kristen cursed and cursed as she turned off the lights and locked the door behind her. Ray was waiting for her, arms folded, staring her down.

She braved herself. "Going?"

Ray shrugged and walked off. 

__

What chivalry, she thought with a mental frown. No wonder he doesn't have any girlfriend.

Or does he, a little part of her mind challenged.

This wasn't right… he never said anything about having a girlfriend or not.

Kristen ran and stopped Ray in his tracks, leaving him surprised. 

"Is everything okay?" he asked when he saw Kristen's flustered face. He turned around and saw that no one was behind them, which meant that she wasn't being followed. So what was the problem?

"Am I walking too fast?" he asked again when she kept her head low and remained silent.

She suddenly shook her head fervently and started walking away.

Ray thought, she probably just wanted to walk ahead, and then he rolled his eyes.

The walk only lasted for a few minutes when Kristen suddenly wondered how close Ray was to her. She stopped walking and Ray nearly collided into her.

"What was that for?"

Kristen swerved around. "Do you have a girlfriend?"

Ray had to admit, he was surprised by her candor. Then he suddenly turned red with anger.

"Well, unlike you, I wouldn't go around seducing other people when I obviously have my own partner," he shot.

That hurt. It really did. The sharp ends of what he said pricked Kristen in parts that she never wanted to get involved with ever again.

Tears came to her eyes, but she turned around with her back to Ray. Ray noticed that her back was stiff, but right now, he was a bit too angry to care about anything else. Right now, he just wanted to clear the air. 

But before he could say anything, Kristen beat him to it.

"So what is this? What are you calling me now? A whore? A harlot? A-"

"Look, I don't remember myself calling you anything of those. All I'm saying is that-"

Kristen turned around so fast that Ray thought she would lose her balance. 

"Something in your words called me something, and don't you dare deny it!" Kristen was shouting now and there was unmistakable hurt and anger in her eyes. 

Unfortunately, both the hurt and anger were reflected in Ray's eyes as well. What was he, a name-caller now? When all the while, he was being the spare wheel for her.

"Fine. If you're insisting that I called you something…" he searched his mind. "Will bitch do?!"

Smack. His left cheek stung with the sudden blow dealt by Kristen.

"Call… me anything… except… for a… bitch," she hissed through her teeth, as if she had difficulty breathing all of a sudden.

Ray regretted his anger. Regretted everything he had said to her. At that moment, he didn't even mind being the spare wheel and second choice. He wanted to say that he was terribly sorry. If only Kristen gave him the chance and not run away with tears welling up in her eyes.

People say in life, you get your own ups and downs. But Ray wouldn't have felt that bad if he didn't feel like he had been dealt with the biggest and worst deuce of his life.

A/N: how was that? to tell u guys the truth, I'm getting a little confused by the sudden new names myself. Even though I created them. How ironic. By the way, remember to review!!! Oh, and Clay Aiken rules!!!! And can anyone tell me if Clay and Carmen Rasmusen are going out together?


	7. Not Good Enough

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned below, except for Kristen Hiwatari and Cassandra Leighton.

A/N: Oh my gdness! How long has it been exactly? Months, I guess. Even years since I've last updated my stories. So sorry for making u guys wait. Been busy with school these 2 years. Yeah, I know it's a lousy excuse, but it's the only reason I've got. Other than needing to straighten out the issues in my life. Hm… thx for those readers who've waited for so damn long. I hope I haven't lost my touch and I seriously hope that everyone knows I'm still alive and kicking. Cos I've been away for so long, pple may've started to believe n think tt I'm not writing anymore. But I am! And I'm glad I am. So please hang on for a while, you guys. I promise not to disappoint u. )

**From the last chapter…**

Smack. His left cheek stung with the sudden blow dealt by Kristen.

"Call… me anything… except… for a… bitch," she hissed through her teeth, as if she had difficulty breathing all of a sudden.

Ray regretted his anger. Regretted everything he had said to her. At that moment, he didn't even mind being the spare wheel and second choice. He wanted to say that he was terribly sorry. If only Kristen gave him the chance and not run away with tears welling up in her eyes.

People say in life, you get your own ups and downs. But Ray wouldn't have felt that bad if he didn't feel like he had been dealt with the biggest and worst deuce of his life.

**Not Good Enough**

"Kristen!" he shouted out, giving chase. But she continued to run forward, ignoring his calls.

"Shit," Ray muttered under his breath as he struggled to keep up with her. _Her legs are too damn long._

Kristen couldn't stop the flow of terrible thoughts and memories. She recalled everything that had happened to her, to her parents and to Andrew.

"Andrew," she whispered, with agony in her voice, as she ran faster and faster, hoping to lose Ray. She hid behind this pillar and kept silent. After a while, she saw the back of Ray, as he ran forward, not knowing that he just missed her.

Somehow she knew it wasn't really his fault. After all, what happened with Andrew was probably partly her fault too; she probably, as Ray said, had acted like a seductress and got herself into trouble.

She leaned back against the pillar and sobbed, placing her face in her hands. _This is my life,_ she thought, _maybe I'm destined never to be good enough for anyone._

Ray panted as he clutched his knees. He had lost sight of her. _Shit, I hope she's all right._

Suddenly, Kai appeared in front of him, and that scared the shit out of Ray.

"Kai!" he exclaimed, with guilt in his voice.

Kai looked at him, wondering why he was panting like that.

"What's wrong?"

"Er…"

As if sensing why Ray was acting so strangely, Kai asked in an accusing tone.

"Where's Kristen?"

Ray sighed, knowing that he couldn't hide the truth from Kai. "She ran away."

"What!" Kai shouted and grabbed Ray's shirt forcefully. "What do you mean, she ran away?"

"We had a little fight and she took off by herself."

"What did you say to her?"

"I…" Ray could not answer his question and could not even meet Kai's eyes. He knew that those eyes would be right now, ablaze with anger.

"If you hurt her, I swear I'll kill you," Kai's grip on Ray's shirt loosened and he took off, searching for his sister. "Don't follow me," he yelled to Cassandra, who was looking so bewildered.

All she could say was, "Woah."

"Kristen? Where are you?" Kai shouted, his heart filled with anxiety and fear. _I hope she didn't do anything foolish._

Kristen heard someone calling for her. At first she thought it was Ray again, and she ignored them. Then, when she listened more closely, she realized that it wasn't Ray who was looking for her – it was Kai.

"Kai?" she stepped out from behind the pillar and found him searching wildly for her.

"Kristen!" Kai gave his sister a tight hug. "Thank god you're okay. What happened? Did Ray do something to you?"

"I'm okay, Kai. Nothing much happened. Ray and I had a little fight, that's all. Couldn't see eye-to-eye," she said, managing a weak smile.

"That's all?" Kai wasn't about to be fooled by her; he knew something else was going on between his sister and his friend.

"Yeah, Kai. Don't worry, I'm fine. How did you know-"

"I saw Ray back there. He looked damn guilty."

"Oh." Kristen looked down at her shoes, suddenly finding them fascinating.

"Come on, let's go back to the hostel." Kai placed an arm around her shoulders. Kristen nodded and hoped Kai would believe her story and let the matter go. She didn't want to blow things up, making a mountain out of a tiny molehill.

Kai knew she wasn't telling him something; they had grown up together and he knew for a fact that she couldn't weave a lie to save her life. It was always so obvious whenever she tried to lie; it showed in those light green eyes of hers.

Kristen was now sleeping and Kai was sitting on the edge of her bed, holding her hand as she slept. She started muttering something in her sleep and Kai leaned in closer to comprehend what she was saying.

"Don't blame Ray."

_What? After what he did to you? I'll squeeze the guts outta him._

After a while, Kristen's grip on his hand loosened and he knew that she was fast asleep. He got up from her bed slowly, cast one last look over at his sleeping sister and closed the door behind him softly as he left the room.

He walked over to the balcony and leaned against the railing. _Poor Kristen_, he thought. _The things she has to go through in life._

Kai then heard the clicking of the doorknob and turned around to see who it was that had come back.

It was Ray.

Kai clenched his fists in anger while Ray's eyes wandered to the door of the girls' bedroom. Kai walked up to Ray and Ray thought that Kai was about to beat the crap out of him for sure when Kai said, "We'll talk outside."

Ray could only nod and close the front door behind them.

A/N: Short chapter, I know. But I hope you guys enjoyed it! Remember, old rules apply! Read and review! Thanks guys! )


	8. Mysteries Unraveled

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned below, except for Kristen Hiwatari and her ex-boyfriend, Andrew. (That jerk, I might add)

A/N: I wonder how the last chapter was. I'm really excited about finishing all my other stories, and not only this one. I'm now working during the afternoon and I can only get to my computer in the evenings. However, my mind's constantly on my stories and how I should finish them! See how dedicated I am? gags at self haha oh well, hope you guys give me the support that I need. Simple, just review! Thanks! Now enjoy! )

**From the last chapter…**

Kristen was now sleeping and Kai was sitting on the edge of her bed, holding her hand as she slept. She started muttering something in her sleep and Kai leaned in closer to comprehend what she was saying.

"Don't blame Ray."

_What? After what he did to you? I'll squeeze the guts outta him._

After a while, Kristen's grip on his hand loosened and he knew that she was fast asleep. He got up from her bed slowly, cast one last look over at his sleeping sister and closed the door behind him softly as he left the room.

He walked over to the balcony and leaned against the railing. _Poor Kristen_, he thought. _The things she has to go through in life._

Kai then heard the clicking of the doorknob and turned around to see who it was that had come back.

It was Ray.

Kai clenched his fists in anger while Ray's eyes wandered to the door of the girls' bedroom. Kai walked up to Ray and Ray thought that Kai was about to beat the crap out of him for sure when Kai said, "We'll talk outside."

Ray could only nod and close the front door behind them.

**Mysteries Unraveled**

"So, do you have anything to say to me?" Ray and Kai had walked in silence for a while. Ray didn't dare to say anything while Kai was wondering what he should say or do to Ray. They were currently at a park and had both sat down on a park bench.

Ray didn't know what to say, or think. Only one thought had been running in his head most of the time, and so he thought, _might as well tell Kai. I probably won't live beyond today, anyway._ (A/N: What a depressing thought, huh?)

"We kissed?"

"What?" Kai nearly fell off his seat. This wasn't anything like he had expected.

Ray shrugged at Kai's response.

"When?"

"The first day I saw her."

_Damn, he's quick,_ Kai thought.

"Look, I'm sorry, I know she's your girlfriend and all, but I just couldn't help it."

"Couldn't… help it?" There was doubt in Kai's voice.

Ray sighed. "She came into the guys' bedroom and thought I was you. She started hugging me and crying about some nightmare she had. When she realized I wasn't you, we went to the balcony after she bit my hand. Then you know, it just happened."

Kai didn't know which part of what Ray said to respond to first. He'd pretty much gotten over the "we kissed" part, but Kristen crying because of her nightmare and her biting Ray's hand? He had LOTS to deal with. He decided to go with the nightmare first.

"She had a nightmare?"

"Yeah. Said something about jumping down."

"Poor thing," Kai thought aloud, as he knew exactly what Kristen had dreamt about.

"Then what happened when you guys were supposed to be out together for dinner?"

Ray sighed again and told Kai everything that happened. Kai was about to strangle Ray when he heard about the name-calling part, but he restrained himself and thought about what Ray said. Maybe it was time to come clean with Ray. _The poor guy looks so confused,_ Kai thought. _I'll let him off this time._

Kai looked over at Ray and Ray was surprised to see Kai wearing a calm expression on his face.

"You're not mad?"

"The hell I'm not."

"Oh."

"But there are some things that you ought to know, and that it's not entirely your fault."

"Oh."

So Kai began unraveling the mystery of this girl named Kristen.

"Kristen doesn't live with her real parents. Her real dad jumped down from a building when he realized that he had lost everything in shares – his house, his money, everything. But he didn't realize that he still had his family. Kristen was only 7 years old at that time when she and her mother could only watch helplessly as her dad jumped down before their very eyes. The police were there and so were the ambulances and counselors, but no one could stop her dad.

Her mother couldn't take the fact that her husband was dead and broke down completely. She's now at the mental hospital and she doesn't even remember her own daughter. Kristen was rendered an orphan and was taken in by her current foster parents. They love her but she can't seem to shake the past away; it comes back to haunt her at night." Kai took a deep breath.

"As to why she acted that way in response to the word (i.e. bitch), it's because of her ex-boyfriend, Andrew. She trusted him completely, only to find that he had cheated her of her feelings. He only had sex in his mind, and he already had a girlfriend behind Kristen's back.To make it more exciting for himself, he even made a bet with his girlfriend that he could get Kristen into bed.

Of course, Kristen said no. He flew into a rage and let his girlfriend into the room. His girlfriend was outside and had been listening to every word they were saying. To make things even worse, she laughed in Kristen's face and Andrew shouted the word in her face. Just because he lost the bet. She was only fifteen at that time." (A/N: Kristen's currently 17 years old and Kai, 18, just in case you were wondering.)

Kai stopped talking and at that moment, it was impossible to tell who was angrier. Both Ray and Kai were clenching their fists in anger.

"How could he," Ray's voice shook with anger. "That bastard."

Kai heaved a ragged and heavy sigh. "From then on, Kristen never really trusted anyone much. She even told me once that she was probably the one who had seduced him in the first place."

"What? She would never." Ray countered.

"I know. But she doesn't."

Ray sighed. "At least she has you by her side. I'm glad, too."

"For what?"

"That she's not alone."

Kai was quite touched by what Ray had just said. He had only met his sister for a few hours, and he was already feeling so strongly for his sister. _They'd make a good pair,_ Kai couldn't help but think.

Kai got up from his seat and started to make his way back to the hostel. But before he walked away, he looked down at Ray, who was still sitting down on the bench.

"By the way, Ray," Kai smiled.

"Yeah?"

"Kristen's not my girlfriend."

Ray jumped up from his seat. "She's not?" he exclaimed.

"Nope." Kai's smile was growing wider by the minute. He couldn't wait to see the expression on Ray's face when he told him that…

"She's my sister, Ray."

"What!"

"Yup," Kai was thoroughly enjoying every moment of this. "And my parents were the one who took her in."

Kai was already started to walk away when he realized that Ray was rooted to the ground, his mouth hanging slightly open.

"Close your mouth Ray. So unattractive and so unlike you."

Ray closed his mouth, opened it and then closed it again, as if he wanted to say something but decided against it in the end.

"What, Ray? Now you look like a goldfish."

"Nothing," Ray muttered.

Kai laughed and knew what Ray was thinking about right now.

"Okay, you have my permission."

"For what?"

"To go after my sister?"

Before Ray could help himself, he said, "Really?"

Laughing again, Kai patted Ray's left shoulder. "Really."

A/N:

_Who's this?_

_Your conscience. _

_Oh man, you again? You appear in every story._

_Back by popular demand._

_Whatever. So what do you want this time?_

_I want to know why you didn't leave a cliffy._

_What? And I thought you were supposed to be the logical and good guy._

_I am._

_Yeah, right._

_So what about the cliffy?_

_Er… not now, I guess._

_Ok._

_Silence_

_Er, how about now?_

_No!_

_Dang it. _

Haha, ok maybe that conscience thing was a bit lame, but oh well at least I didn't leave a cliffy. So don't complain! P ok read and review! 'till next chapter, then!


End file.
